View full sizeLynn Ischay, The Plain DealerEd FitzGerald, Democratic candidate for county executive, addresses the media at the Harp restaurant on Cleveland's near West Side after he was assured of a win.

With Laura Johnston

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ed FitzGerald has the heft of Cuyahoga County Democratic Party. Matt Dolan has the depth of his family's pockets.

Both won primaries in light turnout Tuesday and will meet in the Nov. 2 general election for county executive, a new office atop a reorganized charter government that voters ordered last fall.

One of these men, each a rising star in his party, could become the powerful leader who helps the county turn the page from the largest public corruption scandal in its history.

Both celebrated their victories at Irish pubs.

FitzGerald, the mayor of Lakewood, promised "a new era in county government" as he gathered with his supporters at the Harp in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood.

Dolan, an attorney from Chagrin Falls and a former state representative, cheered a "resounding sendoff to the November election" at Flannery's in downtown Cleveland.

David I. Andersen, The Plain DealerMatt Dolan, Republican candidate for Cuyahoga County executive, talks with a supporter at his primary election night party at Flannery's in downtown Cleveland.

With 1,065 of the county's 1,068 precincts tallied late Tuesday, Dolan had a commanding 68 percent of the vote in his three-way primary. His closest challenger, commercial real estate broker Victor Voinovich of Valley View, took 19 percent of the vote. Paul Casey, a small-business owner from North Royalton, received 12 percent.

For the Democrats, FitzGerald had 49 percent of the vote in a four-way battle. Longtime community leader Terri Hamilton Brown of Cleveland had 32 percent. Citizen activist Dianna Hill, a political unknown who described herself as an ignorant hillbilly, had 14 percent. James Brown, a Brooklyn bus driver who did not actively campaign for the job, had 5 percent.

With the nominating contests complete, a six-way race for county executive will kick off in earnest today. The field also features independents Ken Lanci, Tim McCormack and Don Scipione, as well as Green Party candidate David Ellison, who was unopposed in his primary. Early voting begins Sept. 28.

Hamilton Brown, a first-time candidate, had hoped her work in community development would appeal to those tired of old-guard politics.

Election results and coverage

Though FitzGerald campaigned against the charter that created the position he's seeking, Hamilton Brown had trouble articulating her message. By the time she started hammering FitzGerald for being a party insider and political opportunist, it was too little too late.

"No regrets," Hamilton Brown said late Tuesday in a telephone interview. She added that she hopes to meet with FitzGerald soon and discuss how she can help him in the coming weeks.

Jimmy Dimora, the party's ex-chairman and a lame-duck commissioner whose office will be abolished under the new charter, is a focus of the probe, though he has not been charged and denies wrongdoing. More than 30 others have pleaded guilty to corruption-related crimes.

"It's a good night for Democrats," State Rep. Kenny Yuko, a Richmond Heights Democrat, said after arriving at FitzGerald's bash. "There are a small number of people who made mistakes. That doesn't reflect on the whole party. No one has shunned their Democratic hats."

Despite the game-changing advent of county reform and its implications on machine-style politics, FitzGerald ran a traditional Democratic campaign. He was able to tap the same network of party activists he had been building for a possible run for county auditor. That job, held by Frank Russo, another focus of the probe, will be eliminated under the new charter. Like Dimora, Russo has not been charged and maintains his innocence.

FitzGerald won the county party's endorsement and leaned heavily on organized labor. He also received a $100,000 commitment from the chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party.

"There's a lot of reasons we won," FitzGerald said Tuesday. "Jimmy Dimora and Frank Russo are not on the ballot. The Democratic Party wants to move away from that."

Dolan, the GOP's endorsed candidate, argued throughout the primary campaign that the Democratic machine would not be easily dismantled unless the party nominated a well-funded candidate. It is a contention he uses to defend large contributions from his wealthy relatives.

His father, Cleveland Indians owner Larry Dolan, has given $280,000. His uncle, Cablevision Systems Chairman Charles Dolan of New York, has kicked in an additional $150,000.

Such resources helped Dolan neutralize Voinovich, a political novice who ran largely on the name of his brother, U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, despite his brother's refusal to endorse him. Dolan spent heavily on mailings that emphasized Victor Voinovich's business failures.

"I'm happy I did what I did with what I had," Voinovich said in a telephone interview after conceding to Dolan, who quickly shifted his focus to his November showdown with FitzGerald.

"The Democratic establishment is putting up old faces," Dolan said at his downtown celebration. "The Democratic establishment is clearly fighting to maintain the status quo."

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